


Lullabies

by rebeldaydreams



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: (Hosea is only in it very briefly at the end), Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Platonic Cuddling, arthur being a good dad, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 21:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17433905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebeldaydreams/pseuds/rebeldaydreams
Summary: Reader asks Arthur if he'll sit with them until they fall asleep. Featuring Dad!Arthur, some average cowboy singing and a whole lot of self-indulgent fluff.





	Lullabies

It was the middle of the night when you woke up - or so you assumed, it was still dark outside your tent. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, squinting past the low light of the lantern which sat on the wooden chest at the foot of the bed. You heard a rustling outside, like footsteps on grass, and frowned. All in a second your mind starting running through all the possibilities of who it could be. Had the Pinkertons found you? O’Driscolls? A wild bear?

“Who’s there?” You said in a raised whisper, your hand closing around the grip of your revolver which sat by your pillow.

Arthur’s head appeared at your tent opening and you breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Of course, he’d be awake at this time of the morning.

“Just me, Y/N. Sorry, did I wake ya’?” He said, trying to keep his voice down as he stepped just inside the tent. You shook your head, tucking your revolver back under your pillow.

“You’re good.” You assured him with a sleepy smile. “What’re you doin’ up, anyway?”

“Just got back. Long ride.” Arthur sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m gettin’ too old for all this shit…”

You smiled and he walked over to your bed, sitting on the edge of it. He lifted his hat off with a sigh, placing it at the end of the bed.

“How was your night?” He asked as he ran a hand through his hair, leaving it ruffled.

“Not bad. I beat Bill at poker, which he hated o’course, so that was good. I’m ten bucks richer than when you last spoke to me.” you said with a proud grin.

Arthur laughed, shaking his head. “Good kid. That man really hates losin’ don’t ‘e.”

“You can say that again.” You said.

“Anyway I’m sorry-“ Arthur said, becoming aware of himself. “Didn’ mean to keep you up. I’ll leave ya to get some sleep.” He reached for his hat.

You grabbed his arm without a second thought. “Wait, Arthur-”

He looked at you with those intense blue eyes, his brow furrowing. “Yeah?”

“Can you…stay? Til’ I fall asleep?” You asked timidly. Suddenly you wondered if you regretted asking him. Arthur looked at you for a moment, evaluating your request.

“Nightmares again?” He asked softly. You cast your eyes down and nodded, pulling your hands back into your lap.

“Last few nights…yeah.”

After a few silent moments of twiddling your thumbs in your lap, Arthur reached over and brushed his fingers through your hair, swiftly catching your attention. You were a little taken aback by the affectionate gesture, and a light blush crawled onto your cheeks.

“‘Course I can stay.”

You absently leant into his touch as he brushed his thumb across your cheek, before he pulled his hand away. You lay back down, settling onto your pillow again, and Arthur shifted a little closer so he could pull the blankets back up over you, tucking them neatly around your shoulders. Already you were struggling to stay awake, tiredness overtaking you quicker than you’d anticipated. Unable to keep your eyes open any longer, they fell shut, and one of Arthur’s hands came to rest on your head. Even in your sleepy state, you recognised that he was quietly humming one of the songs they’d been singing around the fire a few nights prior - so softly only you would be able to hear it, as his fingers gently brushed through your hair. You registered warm lips pressing against your forehead, and the light scratch of stubble against your skin.

 _“Big old softie.”_ you thought, before sleep overtook you.

Arthur sat back and watched you for a minute or so, catching himself smiling at how peaceful you looked - almost as if nothing bad was going on at all. Eventually he stood, but instead of collecting his hat and making for his own bunk, he began pulling off his boots. He placed them neatly under the small chair in the corner of your tent and began unbuckling his gun belt as quietly as he could. Once off, he hung it carefully over the back of the chair, along with his hat.

Hoping he wouldn’t disturb your sleep again, Arthur sat on the edge of your bed tentatively, slightly worried that the bunk might not hold both his weight _and_ yours. He settled himself onto it and, despite a small creak, it seemed to be holding up perfectly fine. He let out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding in and swung his legs up onto the bed. A quick glance down reassured him that you were still sleeping soundly.

Now seated beside you, Arthur relaxed with a small sigh and closed his eyes. Perhaps he drifted off for a short while, but it felt only minutes later that you shifted beside him. He looked down and watched you shift closer to him until your head was resting on his chest. As far as he could tell, you were still asleep – or at least, your eyes were closed. He smiled and brought his arm to rest around your shoulders.

_♪_ _“O Mollie, O Mollie, it's for your sake alone-“ ♪_

He began singing softly, his voice low and holding that slight gravelly tone you were so used to.

_♪ “_ _That I'd leave my old parents, my house, and my home.” ♪_

The sound stirred you awake and for a moment you wondered if you were dreaming, but then you registered the feeling of Arthur’s fingers carding through your hair and a smile ghosted across your face.

_♪ ”_ _I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry-  
And when I get thirsty I'll lay down and cry” ♪_

His voice had that lilt to it that people have when they’re singing and smiling at the same time. You drifted off again, the calming tone of Arthur’s voice and the feel of his heart beating lulling you back to sleep.

*

In the morning, when Hosea came calling at your tent to ask if you knew where Arthur was, he’d smile at the sight of the two of you huddled together fast asleep on the small bunk. He’d leave you to sleep for another half hour or so, unable to bring himself to disturb you.

**Author's Note:**

> G O D, Arthur owns my ass at the moment...I love him, y'all. I LOVE HIM. Expect a lot more RDR2 fics! 🤠 Thanks for reading! <3


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